Legendary Czech midfielder Josef Masopust, the 1962 Ballon d'Or winner, died aged 84 on Monday, following a long illness, Petr Prochazka from the Josef Masopust Friends Club told AFP.

Masopust, who was dubbed "a knight of football" and "Caballero" for his chivalrous manners on the pitch, was the playmaker of the Czechoslovak team that made it to the World Cup final in Chile in 1962.

On June 17, 1962, in Santiago, Masopust opened the score in the final, but Brazil came back to win 3-1.

He also played for the Czechoslovak team that won bronze at the 1960 Euro in France.

A devoted Dukla Prague player, Masopust made 63 international appearances and scored 10 goals for the Czechoslovak national team in 1954-1966.

He also coached the national team in 1984-1988.

In 2000, Masopust was honoured as the top Czech footballer of the 20th century.

Czechoslovakia split peacefully into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993, four years after shedding its totalitarian Communist rule of four decades.